What Stephen Curry and the Warriors are saying about the Nuggets, playoffs

It’s going to be a track meet, that’s for sure, when the Nuggets face Golden State in the NBA playoffs. Here are some quotes from the Warriors heading into the series:

STEPHEN CURRY

On the problems Denver presents:

“They’re a deep team and it seems like their dribble penetration from 1 through 4, especially when they put a smaller lineup out there, is tough to defend. They can beat you a lot of ways. They can speed it up. Sometimes they can slow it down and still run their offense in the half court, dominate the paint. Andre Iguodala has become a great playmaker. They have a lot of different ways to play well and you’ve got to be ready for all of them.”

On Warriors’ 3-point shooting:

“It keeps us potent offensively. If guys can get in the paint and draw defenders, we’ve got great finishers in D-Lee, Bogut, Carl down low. Even Festus showed a lot of that recently. If they make themselves present in the paint, even Jarrett can step into a three, HB (Barnes) can step into a three. When we’re playing well, we’re moving the ball and guys are knocking down shots off that offensive movements.”

On his matchup with Ty Lawson:

“He’s experienced playoffs before and had some big games. This will be an opportunity for me to show what Im capable of in that kind of scenario. To go against him, a guy from my draft class, we’ll always be compared to each other, it will be fun. Just got to be aggressive and attack him like he’s going to attack us. Gotta get the best of him.”

COACH MARK JACKSON

“They’re a very well-coached team. They’re a talented basketball team with a lot of weapons. They (out)execute you, beat you, force you to play their style, uptempo, weapons around the floor, and they’re a great home team. So the challenge is there. We’re looking forward to a great series.”

Since they run so well, will you slow it up?

“No. We want to be smart, we want to take care of the basketball. They hurt you when you turn the ball over. They hurt you when you don’t get back. I don’t think they’re going to try to slow it down against us because that’s their strength. And we’re not going to begun to take away one of our greatest strengths trying to slow it down. That’s not who we are.

Does them not having Gallinari change things?

“It definitely does. They’re still a very good basketball team. They’re still dangerous. But you lose a guy like that and his versatility. He’s a guy they went to at the end of the game sometimes. It’s like us losing one of our star players. It’s a difference, but it still doesn’t mean anything as far as how good of a team they are and how many weapons they have.”

As a legendary point guard, you look forward to the Curry-Lawson match-up?

“I think you have four very good point guards: Curry, Lawson, Jack and Andre Miller, who I believe is one of the most underrated point guards in the history of this game. It’s going to be a fun series.”

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.